Cross-era · careers 16 years apart

Shaquille O'Neal vs Nate Thurmond

Shaquille O'Neal 1992-2010 · Center Nate Thurmond 1963-1976 · Center

Shaquille O'Neal (1992-2010) and Nate Thurmond (1963-1976) never shared an NBA court — their careers are separated by 16 years, so this is a cross-era comparison, not a head-to-head. On the floor, Shaquille O'Neal was the higher-volume scorer (23.7 points per game to 15.0); adjusted for era they scored at 2.48× and 1.36× their league average respectively; Shaquille O'Neal was the more efficient scorer (58.6% true shooting to 47.0%). Shaquille O'Neal holds the edge on accolades — 1 MVP, 4 championships, 3 Finals MVPs and the #9 all-time ranking to Nate Thurmond's #75.

Career averages

Shaquille O'NealStatNate Thurmond
23.7 Points / game 15.0
10.8 Rebounds / game 15.0
2.5 Assists / game 2.7
0.6 Steals / game 0.1
2.3 Blocks / game 0.6
58.5% Field goal % 42.1%
2.2% 3-point % 0.0%
52.6% Free throw % 66.7%
58.6% True shooting % 47.0%
1,207 Games played 964

Era-adjusted (× league average of their era)

Shaquille O'NealStatNate Thurmond
2.48× Points vs era avg 1.36×
2.60× Rebounds vs era avg 2.76×
1.16× Assists vs era avg 1.22×

Advanced metrics

Advanced stats aren't available for Shaquille O'Neal.

Advanced stats weren't tracked in Nate Thurmond's era.

Playoff averages

Shaquille O'NealStatNate Thurmond
24.3 Points / game 11.9
11.6 Rebounds / game 13.6
2.7 Assists / game 2.8
0.6 Steals / game 0.1
2.1 Blocks / game 0.6
56.3% Field goal % 41.2%
0.0% 3-point % 0.0%
49.8% Free throw % 59.7%
216 Playoff games 81

Accolades

Shaquille O'NealStatNate Thurmond
1 MVP awards 0
3 Finals MVP 0
4 Championships 0
12 All-Star selections 5
8 All-NBA 1st Team 0
#9 All-time GOAT rank #75

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